Author Archives: Paivi

Those of you who watched the Continental Cup would have seen that there were many portions of the competition which were somewhat unconventional. In this blog post, we want to throw out some ideas on events / leagues that don’t follow the standard format of the game.

Skins

The concept of a skins game has long existed in the sport of golf and has made its mark in the curling world as well. In this format of play, each end is worth a certain number of skins. To win the available skins, the team with hammer (ie. throwing last rock in the end) must score two or more points; or the team without hammer must steal one or more points. If there are no points scored in an end, or if the team with last rock only scores a single point, the skins in that end are carried over to the next end. Typically, if there is a carry over in the last end of play, a draw to the button by each team will be used to determine who wins the remaining available skins.

Two costumed curlers sweep a turkey across the line

TV has been broadcasting a curling skins game for over ten years. At my home club, we have a regular skins league, which is immensely popular. This is an open league (ie. any combination of men and women) with 6-end games and 15 available skins; the ends are worth 1-2-2-3-3-4 points respectively. There are also club bonspiels each season which are based on a skins format, with money awarded for each skin won.

Skins games are pretty entertaining. You tend to see a lot more rocks in play, as there are typically lots of guards thrown up at the start of the game in an effort to generate offensive play.

Hot Shots / Singles / Skills Competition

In this format of play, a player is called upon to execute certain curling shots, usually with the benefit of having sweepers accompany the stone down the sheet of ice. Points are awarded for each shot based on how close the curler came to executing the shot. Typical types of shots included in this type of competition: draw to the button; draw through a port; double take out; raise; etc. If you’ve ever been to the Brier or the Scotties, a Hot Shots competition is conducted on the opening day of these national championships.

One of the key things to consider if you want to hold such a competition at your club: you should ask the ice crew at your club to include the “hot shot markings” in the ice when the ice is installed at the start of the season. The markers ensure that the stones are placed in the identical position for every person competing.

Scotch Doubles

Scotch doubles is a type of curling played with two players per team and six stones per end per team. Three stones are delivered by each player and there are six ends in a game. Sweeping is permitted only after the far hog-line. Until two stones have been played (one from each side), stones in the free guard zone (those stones left in the area between the hog and tee lines, excluding the house) may not be removed by an opponent's stone.

Wacky Scoring

Play a conventional game but make it more entertaining by using ”wacky scoring” whereby the rules for scoring are different for every end of play but you don’t know what scoring rules will apply until after the last rock is thrown and you rip open the envelope! Some examples: score as in a typical game but award the points to the other team; award each team a point for every rock of theirs which is in the free guard zone / out of play / in front of the tee line / behind the tee line.

Hold onto your hats, it's going to be a roller coaster of a ride for the next few months! It is hard to believe that in just eight weeks time, Canada will have declared its representatives for the women's world curling championships in Riga, Latvia and men's Victoria, British Columbia (men).

Perth Master Final

It is only mid-January but we have already seen a lot of action out on the ice. Kicking off the year was the Mercure Perth Masters, which was played in Perth, Scotland, from January 3 – 6. One of the two semi-finals was an all-Goldline affair – sadly, both teams could not win. In the end, the Norwegian squad skipped by Thomas Ulsrud won out over team Gushue. Team Ulsrud then moved on to defeat Mike McEwen in the final. Congratulations to the Gushue and Ulsrud teams for their outstanding play!

Closer to home, it was a very happy new year for our Ontario-based ambassadors. Goldline extends congratulations to the teams skipped by Rachel Homan and Rob Rumfeldt who both emerged victorious in their regional playdowns and thus qualified for their respective provincial finals.

Last week, the Continental Cup was played in Penticton, B.C. Team North America regained the Cup with a decisive victory over team world. Congratulations are extended to all the Goldline ambassadors who took part in this event: teams Martin, Muirhead and Ulsrud.

Over in Bern, Switzerland, the Bernese Ladies Cup was contested from January 11-13. This featured a top notch field of 32 women’s teams. Shannon Kleibrink and Crystal Webster didn’t have their best outing, but we’re happy to report that the team skipped by Erika Brown, which includes Goldline distributor Debbie McCormick, took 3rd place in the event; congratulations are extended to the team!

Also kicking off this past week was the Strathcona Cup. Goldline is proud to be a sponsor of this terrific event which sees 60 Scottish curlers play against Canadian teams across the country. Games began Thursday January 10 and the festivities wrap up at Burlington Golf and Country Club on January 31.

For curlers in the greater Toronto area, the men’s Goldline began play this past Saturday. Nearly 300 teams entered in the open, seniors and senators divisions. We’ll provide photos of our city-wide champions in the next edition of our newsletter.

And, when we next go to press, much of the field for the women’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts will have been determined. Goldline wishes all of its ambassadors – teams skipped by Rachel Homan, Chelsea Carey, Crystal Webster, and Shannon Kleibrink - the best of luck in their upcoming provincial playdowns.

What a great way to end the year! The Canadian Open played out on the ice at Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C. last week. The event featured 18 of the top men’s teams from across the country. Team Gushue advanced to the quarterfinal round, but lost a tight game to team Kean, and team Cotter, hoping for a second consecutive appearance in the finals, lost to the ultimate winner, Glenn Howard.

This past week, the European Curling Championships were played out in Karlstad, Sweden. Congratulations to Thomas Ulsrud and the rest of the Norwegian squad for their silver medal finish. Congratulations are also extended to Eve Muirhead and the Scottish team who were runners up to the Russians in the gold medal match.

Eve Muirhead at 2012 European Championships

Ulsrud at Europeans Photo by Fabrice Coffrini

For those already looking ahead to the new year, the curling calendar really heats up in January. Getting things started is the Continental Cup, which will be played in Penticton, B.C., fromJanuary 10-13, 2013. In this unique event, North America meets the World in a series of competitions including singles, mixed doubles and skins.

From January 19-20, you can watch the first edition of The Dominion All Stars Skins Game on TSN. From there, it is a quick trip over to the east coast of Canada for the start of The National, the third of the Grand Slam series, which runs from January 23-27. And the women’s provincial playdowns all get underway during the month of January. In fact, by January 27, nine of the provinces will have declared their representatives for the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

It’s been a great year of curling so far; 2013 looks to be even better!

This entry was posted in Curling Events on December 18, 2012 by Paivi.

What a start to the month of December! The Canada Cup men’s and women’s titles, as well as potentially two direct berths into the Olympic trials, were on the line last weekend in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. In the end, the teams skipped by Stephanie Lawton and Jeff Stoughton earned their tickets to the trials in Winnipeg in one year’s time. Our Goldline ambassadors faced a few challenges out on the ice but we know they are already gearing up for the next event on the calendar.

On a brighter note, the winner of the women’s crown at the Madison Cash Spiel was the team skipped by Erika Brown, whose vice is Debbie McCormick (a Goldline distributor in the U.S.); congratulations on a great outing! The Brown team has had a strong season so far, with two prior wins on the Ontario Curling Tour circuit (OCT Championship, KW Fall Classic).

Many of the high performance teams are taking a break this week as they rest up for the Canadian Open, the second event in the Grand Slam of Curling. Sportsnet will be on hand in Kelowna, B.C., for the duration of the event, which runs from December 12-16. Check your local TV listings to find out when games are going to be televised in your region.

Also starting this week are the European Curling Championships. Goldline wishes teams Ulsrud and Muirhead the best of luck as they begin the hunt for the European title.

One of its biggest fans is Kevin Przygocki, a 15-year old from Bay City, Michigan. Debbie McCormick, a Goldline distributor in the United States, recently sent us this story about Kevin whose interest in the sport dates back to 2006, the year in which Goldline ambassador, Brad Gushue, won the Olympic gold medal in Pinerolo, Italy.

In 2006, I watched for the first time the sport of curling on TV during the Winter Olympics. Each week we drove by the old Midland Curling Club and I would ask my Mom if I could go in there. She laughed and thought I was not serious about it. At the time I was very small and she did not think that this was the sport for me. The next summer when I was ten, my Grandma signed me up for swim lessons at the Midland Community Center. Across the parking lot I noticed a large new building that said Midland Curling Center. I asked if I could go in but it was closed for the summer. When fall began, I went to the open house and signed right up. I started my first lessons on Sundays with Coach Janice Hawrelak and Coach Ken Moore. They both have taught me so much about the sport I can’t even begin to thank them. The sport of curling has taught me to be a team player and use good sportsmanship not only on the ice but off.

Midland Curling Center

Last year I saved my birthday money and bought my first CB Goldline Broom at the Tim Horton’s Brier in London, Ontario. I really loved the look of this broom and thought it would be great to be able to design my own broom. So the past year I have been looking at the Goldline website to see what I would put on my broom if I could design one. This year is our club’s 50th anniversary and I thought what better way to celebrate it than to design an anniversary broom. My mom told me if I wanted another broom this time I would have save the money or earn it on my own. I started over the summer doing odd jobs like mowing lawns, landscaping and now raking leaves to save the money. I finally reached my goal a few weeks ago and can now order my broom!

I really enjoy playing any and all positions and I now curl three times a week. Last year I mostly played as a Skip but this year I plan to play where ever needed as long as I am on the ice!

The curling world needs more Kevins! The sport’s growth and success depend on getting youth involved in the sport. Many of the junior curlers I have spoken with tell me they took up curling because their parents curled and registered them for the local Little Rocks program at their club. Yet, how do we appeal to those whose parents’ footsteps haven’t made their way into a curling club? Television exposure clearly helps our sport (hopefully you took in some of the Sportsnet and CBC coverage of the Grand Slam curling event last week!). And there are programs such as Rocks and Rings, from Rock Solid Productions, that help introduce the sport to many who have not experienced it first hand.

For years, the Grand Slam of Curling has been one of the most popular events for curling fans around the world. The curling community was elated when, in August of this year, it was announced that Rogers Sportsnet had acquired the rights to the Grand Slam.

Cotter at Masters FinalPhoto by Anil Mungal Sportsnet

The Masters of Curling, the first of the Slam series, took place in Brantford, Ontario, from November 14-18. Our Goldline ambassadors did us proud! On the men’s side, teams Martin and Laycock made it through to the semi-final round of play. The team skipped by Jim Cotter made it into the final, before losing to Kevin Koe. Congratulations to Jim and his team on their runner-up finish.

On the women’s side of the draw, Eve Muirhead and her Scottish team beat Shannon Kleibrink in the quarter-finals but then lost to Rachel Homan in the semis. In the end, it was an all-Goldline final, with two of the strongest teams this season facing off for the crown. Rachel Homan and her team emerged as the winners, defeating the Chelsea Carey squad in the final game. The win put the Homan team at the top of the CTRS standings with the Carey squad now in fifth place. Our sincerest congratulations to both teams on this outstanding result!

Rachel Homan in BrantfordPhoto by Anil Mungal Sportsnet

The next installment of the Grand Slam series will be The Canadian Open, which runs from December 12-16, in Kelowna, British Columbia. After that, it’s The National in Port Hawksbury from January 23-27. And, for curling fans in the greater Toronto area, The Players Championship will be landing down at the Mattamy Recreation Centre (a part of the former Maple Leaf Gardens) from April 16-21, 2013.

This past week saw most of the high performance teams take a break, as they rest up for the Canada Cup which starts this Wednesday in Moose Jaw. But there was still lots of great curling action in Canada, as two key events played out on the national curling scene.

The Dominion Curling Club Championship was the second key national championship played this week. This is an event like no other. It is the only national event we know of that has teams from all 10 provinces and all 3 territories, as well as a separate entry for Northern Ontario on both the men’s and women’s side of the draw. The Scarboro Golf & Country Club, celebrating its 100th anniversary, played host to 112 players and their families all week. The Dominion General Insurance Company is to be congratulated on its outstanding support of the sport of curling across this country. The finals were played on Saturday with team Ontario winning the women’s crown, and team Alberta winning the men’s title. As fate would have it, there is a Goldline connection in this story: the vice of the Ontario women’s squad is a Goldline distributor in Belleville! Sheri-Lynn Collyer and her husband operate Quinte Curling Supplies so if you’re in the Belleville area, be sure to drop in and congratulate Sheri-Lynn on the team’s success.

As mentioned above, the Canada Cup starts this week. TSN will be providing television coverage of all 7 draws as well as the semi-finals and finals. The top seven men’s and women’s teams will be battling out on the ice, with the winner getting a coveted spot in the Olympic trials in Winnipeg in December 2013. Enjoy!!!

It has been another busy two weeks for the high performance teams in Canada, all of whom are trying to perfect their game before heading into their provincial playdowns in the new year.

The first weekend of November turned out to be a very successful one for our Goldline Ambassadors. In Kemptville, Rachel Homan and her Ottawa squad won the title at the Royal Lepage OVCA Women’s Fall Classic for a second consecutive year. This win moved Rachel’s team into fifth place in the CTRS (Canadian Team Ranking System) standings. Congratulations!

Team Homan Accepts Trophy at Royal LePage OVCA Women's Fall Classic

And the winning did not stop there. In a strong field of 32 teams, Chelsea Carey and her team came out as the champions at the Red Deer Curling Classic. With this win, Chelsea’s team moved into 9th spot in the CTRS standings. Congratulations to Chelsea, Kristy, Kristen and Lindsay on their excellent play!

Chelsea Carey Red Deer Classic Champion

This past weekend, the men were playing in Swan River, Manitoba, in the White’s Drug Store Classic. The teams skipped by Kevin Martin and Jim Cotter advanced to the playoff round; good work gentlemen!

The key women’s event was the Colonial Square Ladies Classic, in Saskatoon, with a field of 48 teams! Our Goldline ambassadors fared extremely well. Teams Kleibrink, Homan and Carey all made it into the playoff round. Chelsea Carey defeated Rachel Homan in one of the semi-final games and played strongly in the final but ultimately came a couple of shots short in the final, losing to Stefanie Lawton. Teams Homan and Carey have had an exceptional start to the year and have to be considered serious contenders for Scotties berths. Congratulations to all our Goldline ambassadors for an excellent showing in Saskatoon.

There is lots more curling in the weeks ahead, with the key event being the first of the Grand Slam series, The Masters of Curling, in Brantford, Ontario. This event will run from November 14-18 and features 34 teams in each of the men’s and women’s fields. Ontario curling fans – head on out to Brantford to catch some great curling action!

This entry was posted in Curling Events on November 13, 2012 by Paivi.

On the men’s side the Canad Inns Prairie Classic was held in Portage La Prairie, Alberta. Goldline-sponsored teams played well. Kevin Martin executed some great shots to eliminate Brad Gushue from the competition and ultimately advance to the final. In the end, Martin and his team came up a bit short; we extend congratulations to Kevin, John, Marc and Ben for an excellent showing.

Jump ahead to the last weekend of October and there was no shortage of curling action. In fact, we had Goldline teams playing in events in 3 different provinces across the country.

In Brooks, Alberta, the Kevin Martin squad made it into the playoff round, but lost in the semi-finals to the team skipped by Kevin Koe, the ultimate winner of the event. Congratulations are extended to Brad Gushue and his Newfoundland team for their runner up finish in the Challenge Cartier de Gatineau, held in Gatineau, Quebec. And to top things off, Goldline salutes Rob Rumfeldt and his team for their win at the Huron ReproGraphics Oil Heritage Classic which wrapped up play on Sunday in Sarnia, Ontario. Way to go!

At Goldline, we are passionate about curling. But, curling is not just about passion - it also requires product, people, and places to thrive!

Product!

Goldline is the place to go for all your curling equipment and apparel. We have all the tools you need to get started in the game or to take it up to the next level.

Shoes are often the starting point. At Goldline, you can pick a shoe from the ever popular Podium series. New this season is our G Force shoe featuring a full-length ¼” Teflon slider. Rounding out the selection is the Glide, with its full-length 1/16” slider.

Many curlers who are new to the sport begin by using club brooms, but at a certain point, most curlers make the decision to purchase a broom of their own. The Fiberlite broom is an excellent choice for all curlers. If you are looking to use an even lighter broom, the Carbon Fiber broom is the next logical choice. And why not top off that broom with the revolutionary Norway pad? If you are no longer able to get down into the hack, we also offer Saber and Excaliber delivery devices.

In terms of apparel, we have a broad selection of pants for both men and women. Our Oslo jackets come in a variety of colours, including our newest two-tone combo of black with pacific blue. Layering is the key to staying warm when you’re out in the ice shed: the Ice Tech Tee is a great base layer, providing warmth and breathability. And in addition to our leather mitts, we have two new styles of gloves this year: the Precision and the Thermocurl.

Places!

Ed Flowers started the business in 1967 out of his garage, but Goldline has continued to grow! We now have four retail stores in Ontario. The first retail store opened in Mississauga in the late 1980s, and the Toronto and Ottawa locations opened a few years later. In September 2011, the company proudly opened its fourth retail location in London, Ontario.

But what if you are not within driving distance of one of our retail stores? Not to worry! There are 150 distributors of Goldline product located all across Canada. Go to goldlinecurling.com and click on Distributors for a complete list of where you can pick up your curling equipment and apparel.

Even if you are not within easy reach of one of our distributors, shopping is just a click away. Through our website our reach now extends around the globe. We also have a number of international distributors with whom we do business. For those living in the United States, Goldline merchandise is available from Brooms Up (in the eastern U.S.A) and from Debbie McCormick (former World champion and 3-time Olympian). Overseas, we do business with a number of nations, including Scandinavia (CurlingguHa in Norway; One Corner Curling in Sweden); Asia (Ishide Sports and Sporting Caneck in Japan; AFC in South Korea; and Curl Management in China) and the European Union (British Curling Supplies in Scotland; Goldline Europe in Switzerland).

People!

All of the people that work at Goldline share one thing: a pure passion for the sport of curling. Be it the customer service associate at the end of the phone line, one of the staff in our retail stores or someone in the back office, we are all working towards one goal: to promote and grow the sport of curling!

Passion!

Ultimately, it comes down to passion! We want to grow the sport and to do so, we continue to promote it to the world at large. Goldline is proud to sponsor curling events in the various communities in which it conducts business. A brief snapshot of the events we support:

• In the greater Toronto area, the TCA Goldline men’s bonspiel is one of the largest bonspiels in North America. Held every January (this year’s event runs from January 12-19, 2013), the bonspiel welcomes roughly 300 teams each year! Has your team signed up yet??

• This year, Goldline is delighted to be a sponsor of the Strathcona Cup. This unique event, held every five years, brings Scottish teams across the Atlantic to battle in cities across Canada. In total there will be over 400 games played during the 2013 competition, with the final matches and closing banquet to be held in Burlington, Ontario, Over 1,700 Canadians will participate as opposition and hosts for the Scots.

Congratulations Cotter! The men’s finals of the Prestige Hotels and Resorts Curling Classic were underway as our last newsletter was being released, and we’re proud to say that Jim Cotter and team mates Jason Gunnlaugson, Tyrel Griffith, and Rick Sawatsky walked away with the men’s crown.

Skip Kevin Martin eyes his shot

From Vernon, B.C., Jim and the boys then headed to New Westminster for the Westcoast Curling Classic which wrapped up play on Thanksgiving Monday (October 8). They survived a tie-breaker to make it into the playoff round but suffered a loss in their quarter final game. But, another Goldline ambassador ended up with the title! Sincere congratulations to Kevin Martin, John Morris, Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert on their victory!

This was only one of several events played out over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. Staying out west, the Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic featured a stellar field of 32 women’s teams from across Canada. Shannon Kleibrink, who we are proud to call a Goldline ambassador, came out on the A-side of the draw and made it through to the semis before running up against another one of our ambassadors, Rachel Homan and her team from Ottawa. Congratulations are extended to Rachel, Emma, Alison and Lisa for their runner–up finish in the event!

In Toronto, a Goldline sponsored event, the Stu Sells Tankard wrapped up play on Thanksgiving Monday. Rob Rumfeldt and his team came out on the A-side of the draw and made it through to the semi-finals, where they lost their game to the ultimate winner of the event, Jeff Stoughton. Congratulations to Rob, Adam, Scott and Greg on their great play over the weekend (by the way, we had a chance to chat with Rob and Adam on Saturday evening, and they were quick to say, “We absolutely love the new (Norway) pads!”).

Over in Europe, Thomas Ulrsud, the featured Goldline ambassador in our last newsletter, made it as far as the quarter finals at the 2012 Swiss Cup, in Basel, Switzerland.

And last, but definitely not least, we send kudos to the Scottish team of skip Ewan MacDonald, vice Eve Muirhead, second Euan Byers and lead Karen Barthelemy who won the European Mixed Curling Championships on Saturday October 6, with an 8-4 win over Sweden!